Supriya Sule to CM: Won’t allow you to travel in state if you don’t punish Kopardi accused by Jan 1

On July 13, 2016, three Dalit men allegedly raped and murdered a 14-year-old in Kopardi. The incident led to state-wide protests by Maratha community to demand justice for the family

mumbaiUpdated: Oct 16, 2017 19:13 IST

HT Correspondent

Hindustan Times

In October 2016, the Baramati MP had asked the CM to file an FIR in the Kopardi case within two days, failing which, she had said, party workers would come onto the streets(FILE)

Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and Member of Parliament (MP) Supriya Sule on Monday said her party won’t allow CM Devendra Fadnavis to travel in the state if those accused in the rape and murder of a teenager at Kopardi in Ahmednagar are not punished by January 1.

On July 13, 2016, three Dalit men allegedly raped and murdered a 14-year-old in Kopardi. The incident led to state-wide protests by Maratha community to demand justice for the family. A fast-track court is currently conducting the trial.

Talking to the media in Pune on Monday, the NCP chief’s daughter said, “Even one-and-a-half years after the incident, the verdict is not out yet. Fadnavis had promised to give justice to the girl’s family by completing legal proceedings in a year. We will not allow him [chief minister] to travel if the verdict doesn’t come by January 1.”

Sule’s statement comes amid buzz that the leadership wants her to become the face of the party, considering most of its first-rung leaders are facing corruption charges.

In the recently-held executive committee meeting, Sule suggested the NCP should raise public issues aggressively and take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government over its policies. “There is confusion among cadre regarding the party’s equation with the BJP,” Sule reportedly said at the party meet, adding, “This could be because of our inconsistency in taking on the government over various issues.”

This is not Sule’s first attack on the CM.

In October 2016, the Baramati MP had asked the CM to file an FIR in the Kopardi case within two days, failing which, she had said, party workers would come onto the streets. She had called Fadnavis a “short-tempered leader, who fought like women quarrelling for water at community taps”.